I’m working under the assumption that IUFB is probably done in the portal and we’re nearly set with the current roster. I use this space to talk about the depth chart as I see it at this moment in time. Depth charts are extremely fluid, especially when practice starts so these are subject to change but the points I’m making, typically, are still what I believe even if I make a switch because until we get reports from live practices, I’m just guessing.
You can find the working Google Sheet here as well as checking the Hoosier Huddle message board where it is a pinned topic.
It’s updated with current class, weight, height, total scholarship, walk on’s and more. I recommend viewing on a desktop and not on Twitter or any “preview” type browser. It looks much better in almost any browser than the one Twitter has. Also, you can click on the players IU profile which I update as soon as players are given a page on the IU website.
Today I’m going to hit the defensive end position. IU currently has 42 scholarships on defense and nearly 24% of those scholarships are going to edge players (10).
I think defensive end is one of the deeper positions on the roster. I’m doing these in sort of tier format…you’ll get it as you read on. Also want to give a shout out to defensive ends coach Buddha Williams. The way he and defensive tackles coach Pat Kuntz have recruited, sold a vision and then demonstrated that vision on the field is remarkable. Both are rising stars in the coaching community.
Let’s talk about the true strong side ends first. These are the guys who aren’t typically tasked with dropping into coverage.
IU totally revamped its entire strong side defensive end room while in the middle of a title run with two elite additions in Chiddi Obiazor and Joshua Burnham. I have those two in an “or” situation as we head into Spring camp with a slight edge to Obiazor because of his size and versatility in a defense that continually showcases their defensive line talents.
Obiazor played in 12 games for Kansas State last year as a redshirt sophomore and led the next highest player by 12 with 30 total pressures (6% pressure rate). For perspective, Stephen Daley a had an 8% pressure rate in ’25 and that was good to earn multiple post season honors. Obiazor is a body type that IU has, in the past, had issues getting into the fold. There simply just aren’t that many 6’5+, 270+ athletes and the ones there, traditionally, didn’t pick IU.
He had middling to above average Pro Football Focus grades across the board but KSU struggled all year on both sides of the ball and had significant injury losses so I think it was more of a team wide issue than a Obiazor issue. He’s also newer to football and is still learning the game. I’m not saying he’s going to do what Stephen Daley did in terms of TFL’s but Obiazor is a rare athlete with what looks like elite ability.
Lastly, Obiazor gives IU a ton of flexibility. He can play inside and out and, in my opinion, from watching some highlights, looks like a Mario Landino type player in that Landino is more of an inside guy who can slide outside where as Obiazor is the opposite…an outside guy that can slide inside.
That flexibility is going to be big because IU is thinner at DT (which we’ll get to in another preview) in terms of experience past its top three and Obiazor is a guy who could help out inside if needed or in certain packages or against certain run heavy teams where you’re not losing any pass rush ability by playing him there.
The reason I have a physical freak in an “or” situation is because of the other SDE addition, 6’4, 246 Joshua Burnham. Burnham comes to IU from Notre Dame as a former top 100 player out of high school who came on in a pretty big way last season. He was listed at 260 by ND last season and my guess is he lost weight during the season and IU’s going to get him up around that weight once the season starts.
Burnham played just 235 snaps at ND in ’25 but had 19 pressures (8%). If you get into the decimals, that’s more than Daley and just 1% less than Mikail Kamara (9%) and right around a guy IU had issues with stopping in elite PSU DE Dani Dennis-Sutton (8%).
I think he’s kind of flying under the radar in terms of who this team added, even by me, and for a team that doesn’t typically rotate a ton on the DL, I think this is a spot where we see both Burnham and Obiazor play a lot. I’m expecting a lot from these two and I think people are going to be wow’d by their athleticism.
Both DE spots are a probably one of the deepest, in terms of talent, that IU has had since I’ve been following and that’s saying something because despite IU being up and down as a program, they’ve had some pretty decent pass rushers in the past.
Outside of the two on my 2 deep, the 6’4 Tyrone Burrus got on the field last year in two games last season, including the Oregon game. That’s quite the feat for a true freshman on a National Title team. He was able to retain his redshirt but the staff clearly liked him enough to get him some run (even though that Oregon game was out of reach). Burrus has a bright future and if either of the top two get injured, we’ll likely see him.
Keishaun Calhoun was the same class as Burrus but didn’t see the field in ’25. We just don’t know a ton about him other than that he looks like he’s a SDE based on his size and his HUDL video was pretty good out of Ohio.
The 6’4 Ronnelle Johnson is a 4* in the ’25 class. You never know how things will shake out but I think IU has the depth this year to absorb some injuries in on the edge and still not have to dig into guys like Johnson but his talent is undeniable (just watch the first play on this highlight of him forcing pressure and then being able to track down a QB from behind) and he and Burrus might just be the future of this position in the coming years as both continue in the college strength and nutrition programs.
Now, we’ll shift over to IU’s “Stud” position. Most people reading this already understand what that is but, in case you don’t, IU likes to have a rush end that has the flexibility to drop into coverage. That’s easier said than done because you have to be athletic enough to get out to the flat and cover while also being able to rush the passer. IU had Kellan Wyatt shining at Stud until he got hurt and had to move Mikail Kamara back to Stud from SDE to help out with the loss.
Either way, IU has added an absolute beast from Kansas Sate in 6’2, 244 Tobi Osunsanmi. I think Tobi has a chance to be one of the better pass rushers in the conference this year from watching some of his highlights. Now, he got injured just 6 games into the season and had a 6% pressure rate (lower than any of the guys mentioned above), but he destroyed Iowa State in their week 0 game in Ireland and finished with 4 sacks in 5.5 games.
The other thing with Tobi is that he started out at safety and grew into the DE position and his 73.5 coverage grade by PFF in ’25 would be by far the best of any of IU’s DE’s last season. Again, small sample of just 5.5 games but he showed the ability to drop out and not be awful which, as I said above, is very, very hard to do.
Right now, I have Tobi as the starter over the next guy, Daniel Ndukwe but, again, this is a spot where both are going to play. And Ndukwe has earned that right on the field with what he’s done on special teams and then in the playoff run.
Like Tobi, Ndukwe had a respectable 6% pressure rate. I’d like to see that tick up a bit for both guys. I’m not asking them to be pressure demons like Mikail Kamara but both are dynamic athletes and I’ll be excited to see what kind of reports we get about their pass rush from Spring to see how they’ve improved from year to year.
Back to Ndukwe. The reason I have him behind Tobi right now is his coverage and tackling. Both were fine by my eye test but PFF wasn’t as rosy. If he can tighten those up in another Spring and Fall camp in the Bryant Haines system, the true junior Ndukwe could be challenging the 5th year senior Tobi for the starting spot at Stud. He’s got elite potential and showed that by bumping up his pressure rate to nearly 8% in the three playoff games.
I have Quentin Clark on my 2 deep but he’s clearly in a tier below Ndukwe and Onsunsanmi.
Clark moved from LB to DE last year as the coaches wanted his pass rushing ability to shine. That means he probably still maintains some of that twitch which allowed him to be a really good LB prospect coming out of Georgia.
Clark is only 6’1 but he was up to 227lbs before last season so my guess is that once Fall Camp starts and we get updates, he’ll be in the 235+ range.
Clark was one of my favorite prospects in the ’24 class and he showed sideline to sideline speed in his HUDL videos and is a guy that love to hit. That’s why his move to DE was so surprising but he stuck it out and didn’t transfer I always take that as a good sign that someone is committed to the process and believes in the plan that the DE coach Buddha Williams and Curt Cignetti have for him.
I was tempted to put redshirt freshman Triston Abram in the tier with Quentin Clark.
We didn’t see Abram in ’25 but, again, as a person that watches all the HUDL videos of IU commits and posts them on Twitter, this kid’s HUDL was one of the most impressive I saw from any edge player IU’s recruited. It was so good that Michigan tried to swoop in and snag him late in he process. Abram was also one of my “Deep Sleepers” last year.
It’s fair to say that I’m a fan and I’m glad he’s sticking it out. If there is a kid who I think could push his way up this depth chart, it’s Abram.
Finally, another 4* DL for this staff in Kevontay Hugan. He’s a very raw, pure edge type that has really good hands and speed. He’s going to need IU’s strength and nutrition program but this is a kid with pure upside and athleticism.
It’s exciting when you can add a guy with this much potential who won’t be rushed into playing like has happened at IU for so long. Let this kid marinate in the program and see how he develops because he looks like a good one.